91快色

In less than a year, recreational cannabis use will be legal in Canada.

Tasked with adapting the new legislation, which comes into effect October 17, 2018, the Government of Alberta has developed a proposed cannabis framework based on feedback from Albertans as well as stakeholders and partners such as the 91快色.

In 2016, U91快色鈥檚 Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Unit was asked to support the Government of Alberta鈥檚 cannabis policy development.

鈥淭he government needed to respond to the federal decision to legalize cannabis and wanted to do so with the best evidence out there,鈥� says Fiona Clement (PhD鈥�06), director of the HTA Unit. 鈥淭hey came to us because of our reputation 鈥� we do good science here 鈥� and asked that we complete a systematic review
to support the legislation development.鈥�

Clement and her team, which is made up of physicians, researchers and students, compiled a wide range of evidence on five key topics: the current Canadian context, health harms and effects, medical cannabis, advertising and communication, and experience with legalization. The final report was made public in February 2017 and has been used to develop the Alberta Cannabis Framework, a structure that sets the stage for the legal and responsible use of cannabis by Albertans.

鈥淭he report is getting great traction,鈥� boasts Clement, who鈥檚 an associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and a member of the O鈥橞rien Insti tute for Public Health. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 great to publish it, but to have people read what we鈥檝e written and say, 鈥榃ow, we really need to be thinking of this,鈥� is on another level. That鈥檚 the kind of thing a policy researcher lives for.鈥�

Clement has also been participating in the provincial government鈥檚 roundtable stakeholder series where representatives from various institutes and organizations come together to discuss topics such as the minimum age of purchasing, protecting roads and workplaces, and public consumption. 

鈥淚 use the evidence-based information from the HTA Unit鈥檚 report as my voice during those talks,鈥� explains Clement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have that type of neutral party during these types of discussions. We鈥檙e here to support policy based on strong research.鈥�

In addition to supporting the government, the Cumming School also plays a significant role in educating the public. In May 2017, the O鈥橞rien Institute, in partnership with the Canadian College of Health Leaders, hosted a forum to address the public health implications of cannabis. More than 300 policy experts, patients, leaders in substance use and public health, and members of the general public attended the forum to discuss the impact of legal cannabis use.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of important work being done in our province around substance use and public health, and we wanted to share some of that work with the general public and the public health community,鈥� says Rebecca Haines-Saah, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences and a member of the O鈥橞rien Institute.

According to Haines-Saah, who played a large role in organizing the event, the forum aimed to set the tone for cannabis policy in Alberta.

鈥淲e needed to elevate dialogue through the lens of public health, and the forum allowed us to do that,鈥� Haines-Saah explains. 鈥淲ith a public health approach, the focus is not so much on individual-level risks and harms, but on creating population-level policies and interventions to prevent the potential for problems associated with cannabis use. Beyond health, there鈥檚 also an emphasis on how policies that criminalize cannabis have been harmful, discriminatory and have ultimately failed to 鈥榩rotect鈥� people from use.鈥�

As things move forward, Clement and Haines-Saah believe that the CSM鈥檚 role will stay the same. 鈥淭he government is going to have a lot of ongoing questions, and we have strong data and analytic capacity,鈥� says Clement. 鈥淭he partnership we have with Alberta Health enables us to respond quickly as issues emerge.鈥�

Alberta Cannabis Framework at a glance

• After legalization, 18 will be the proposed minimum age to purchase cannabis 鈥� the same age limit for alcohol and tobacco.
• If you鈥檙e an adult, you鈥檒l be able to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public.
• Cannabis consumption will be allowed in homes and in some public spaces where smoking tobacco is allowed, but restricted in places where kids tend to be.
• You鈥檒l be able to grow up to four cannabis plants in your home, but not outdoors where kids can potentially access them.
• No cannabis use will be allowed in vehicles, even by passengers. Like alcohol, cannabis will need to be secured away from drivers and passengers. Additional rules will be put in place to prevent people from driving under the influence.
• The Government of Alberta will be working with labour groups and employers to ensure worksites are kept safe.
• In the beginning, there will be no online sales in Alberta.  However, this is something the provincial government will look at in the near future.
• Licensed growers across Canada will be required to meet federal quality and safety standards. Growers will sell cannabis to a government owned and operated distributor who will ship safe products to retail outlets. Retail stores will have to follow strict rules such as special staff training, hours of operation, and more.

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